Hazel Branch
American entomologist (1886–1973)
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Hazel Elisabeth Branch (October 1, 1886 – August 24, 1973) was an American entomologist and academic. She was a professor and head of the Department of Zoology at Wichita State University. Branch was a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the president of the Kansas Academy of Science.
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University of Kansas, MA English, 1912
Hazel E. Branch | |
|---|---|
| |
| Born | October 1, 1886 |
| Died | August 24, 1973 (aged 86) Wichita, Kansas, US |
| Occupations | College professor and administrator |
| Academic background | |
| Education | University of Kansas, BA English, 1908 University of Kansas, MA English, 1912 |
| Academic work | |
| Era | 1921–1956 |
| Discipline | Biology |
| Sub-discipline | Zoology and Entomologist |
| Institutions | Wichita State University |
Early life
Branch was born on October 1, 1886, in Concordia, Kansas.[1][2] She attended the public schools in Cawker City, Kansas and Beloit, Kansas.[3] She attended the University of Kansas, where she received a Bachelor's degree in 1908 and a Master's degree in English in 1912.[4][5][2] She was a member of Phi Beta Kappa.[1][5]
She received a Ph.D. in entomology from Cornell University in 1921.[2][4][5] While at Cornell, she was a founding member and treasurer of Sigma Delta Epsilon (now Graduate Women in Science).[6]
Career
After graduating from the University of Kansas, Branch was a teacher and preceptress at the College of the Sisters of Bethany in Topeka, Kansas.[3][7] She taught at Cornell University from 1921 to 1922, after receiving her Ph.D.[8]
In 1922, Branch joined Fairmount College (later renamed Wichita State University), as a professor and head of the Department of Biology.[1] In 1927, she became a professor and head of the Department of Zoology.[3][7][4] Her research focused on preventative medicine, show the need for a balanced diet and the negative effects of alcohol and nicotine.[1] She also studied pollution caused by dumping raw milk in streams and the negative impact of nicotine on rat reproduction.[5]
Many of her students majored in pre-medicine.[4] 197 of her students became physicians, 56 became dentists, 22 became nurses, and one became a phytopathologist.[1][4] She sponsored the Pi Kappa Psi sorority at Fairmount College in 1938.[1] She also organized Phi Beta Kappa at Wichita State.[8]
She retired as a professor emeritus of zoology in 1956.[7][3][8] After retiring, she turned to writing and published a scientific book about salamanders in 1959.[7]
Branch was included in the 1938 edition of Men of Science.[1] Branch was a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.[1][5] She was a member of the American Society of Zoologists, the Academy for the Advancement of Science, and the Entomological Society of America.[1][8] Branch was also the president of the Kansas Academy of Science and president of the Wichita chapter of the American Association of University Professors.[9][2][1][5]
Personal life
Branch lived at 3756 E. Douglas in Wichita, Kansas.[8] She was active in the Wichita Science Club for local science teachers and the Junior Committee of the Kansas Academy of Science.[1] She received the Alumni Recognition Award in 1957.[1] She was a member of the St. James Episcopal Church in Wichita.[5][8]
Branch died on August 24, 1973, in Wichita.[5] In 1975, the Hazel Branch Endowed Scholarship at Wichita State University was established from her estate, and awarded to students majoring in biology with the intent to attend a medical school.[2][1]
Publications
Books
- Branch, Hazel E. A laboratory manual of Cryptobranchus aleganiensis Daudin. Vantage Press. 1959.
Journals
- Branch, Hazel Elizabeth (1913). Morphology and biology of the Membracidae of Kansas. Vol. 8, Series No. 3. University of Kansas.
- Branch, Hazel Elizabeth (1922). "A contribution to the knowledge of the internal anatomy of Trichoptera". Annals of the Entomological Society of America. 15 (3): 256–275. doi:10.1093/aesa/15.3.256.
- Branch, Hazel Elizabeth (1923). "Description of the early stages of Tanytarsus fatigans JOH". Entomologists News. 34: 1–4.
- Branch, Hazel E. (1922). "A new record relative to the parasites of Pholus achemon Drury". Transactions of the Kansas Academy of Science. 31: 100. doi:10.2307/3624128. JSTOR 3624128.
- Branch, Hazel E. (1922). "Notes on the Chironomidae of Kansas". Transactions of the Kansas Academy of Science. 31: 48. doi:10.2307/3624108. JSTOR 3624108.
- Branch, Hazel Elisabeth (1923). "The life history of Chironomus cristatus Fabr. with descriptions of the species". Journal of the New York Entomological Society. 31 (1): 15–30. JSTOR 25003980.
- Branch, Hazel Elisabeth (1928). "Description and identification of some Chironomid egg masses". Annals of the Entomological Society of America. 21 (4): 566–570. doi:10.1093/aesa/21.4.566.
- Branch, Hazel Elisabeth (1931). "The aims and opportunities of the Junior Academy in Kansas". Transactions of the Kansas Academy of Science. 34: 27–32. doi:10.2307/3624463. JSTOR 3624463.
- Branch, Hazel Elisabeth (1931). "Identification of Chironomid egg masses II". Transactions of the Kansas Academy of Science. 34: 151–157. doi:10.2307/3624485. JSTOR 3624485.
- Branch, Hazel Elisabeth (1931). "Effects of alcohol on the reproductive powers of rats (albino)". Transactions of the Kansas Academy of Science. 34: 311–313. doi:10.2307/3624508. JSTOR 3624508.
- Branch, Hazel Elisabeth; Moss, W. Glen (1938). "Effects of nicotine on rats (albino)". Transactions of the Kansas Academy of Science. 41: 317–329. JSTOR 3625263.
- Branch, Hazel E. (1942). "That the blind may see". The American Biology Teacher. 5 (2): 34–36. doi:10.2307/4437328. JSTOR 4437328.